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Steve Ayotte of AZ’s IDLE RED

Steve, the founder and vocalist/guitarist of IDLE RED rocks out hard and has a passion that is undeniable. His band IDLE RED, in my opinion , is one of AZ’s finest, they are a great local band to follow and create awesome relationships with their fans. We sat down with him to pick his brain a bit and learn more about his band.Q: When and how did your band get together?A: Well, IDLE RED was originally formed in 2004 but the story of how all of the current members (Taylor, Tyler, Rob, and myself) came together is a long one so I’m going to sum it up by saying, “All our paths were drawn together by a greater, unseen set of forces”. Lol is that new agey enough for you? In actuality, we were just members of past projects that had withered away and fate’s timing was lucky enough that all of us were in the same place at the same time. I would have had it no other way. The lineup we have today is the true IDLE RED. I love these guys like my brothers.

Q: What do you value most about music and performing?
A: I can’t speak for all the members in my band, but what I probably value most about music is the fact that it gives me a creative way to channel all the thoughts and feelings I have inside this crazy head of mine! Music is my escape from the demons that (I think) we all have inside us, but it is also (and normally at the same time) the way I personally embrace the triumphs I am so proud of. Performing allows me the opportunity to share these experiences with others in a very “hands on” way if you will. Hopefully some of what I am going through will connect with the listener. And that is another thing I value about music, it brings people together and allows strangers to become family. Being in IDLE RED and playing music has afforded me the privilege of expanding my family through meeting some of the most amazing people I otherwise would never have met.

Q: We all want to know, do you really get more chicks because you are in a band?A: That’s a tough one to answer lol. I honestly don’t think girls are drawn to guys in bands because of the “band boy” stereotype. If that was the case, they’d probably realize pretty quickly no money + no job + sleeps on their friend Chris’s couch doesn’t normally equal a solid investment of their time. I think the appeal is in the confidence that a musician wields. In my opinion constantly digging deep within one’s self to create an honest piece of art builds character, and along with that character comes the confidence to share it with others. So yes, as I have grown up and become a more confident person I have seen an increase in the amount of girls who are interested in me. But I have to say, any amount of girls I have interested in me is totally trumped by the amount that dig our guitarist Rob! That dude has swagger oozing from his pores… no joke, Robbie is the S*#T!!

Q: What genre of music do you play most? What is your favorite genre to play?A: Trying to categorize us huh? Well that’s ok. It’s a question we get a lot and for some reason it always seems to be the hardest one to answer. IDLE RED’s sound bridges the gap between alternative, heavy rock, punk, metal, and southern rock genres of music. If you want to know on paper what we sound like and what genre we’d be labeled under at your local record store I would have use the general term “Rock”. Probably better if you just listen for yourself though lol.

Q: What was your favorite show? What was your wildest moment while performing?
A: This is going to sound funny but my favorite show was one that most people / IDLE RED fans won’t remember. I actually don’t even remember the date. I just know that is was several years ago, in the winter, and it was at a place called Flicka’s in Scottsdale, AZ. Don’t ask me how, but something clicked with all us on stage that night and we came alive! Within one 40 min set IDLE RED changed into something better than anything I had ever been a part of before and it’s been a crazy uphill ride ever since. That was a show I’ll remember forever.

The wildest moment had to have been this past summer when we were invited to play at the Dithmarscher Rock Festival in Marne, Germany. We had just finished playing and the entire crowd of Germans, very few of which spoke English well, were chanting our name and screaming for more! That was a wild moment for sure.

Q: What are you working on now? Where can fans come see you play next?A: Currently we are working on songs for a new EP (possibly a short LP) and we will be shooting a couple music videos with director Kevin R. Phipps from Los Angeles. The ideas and direction for both the new songs and videos are really fresh and I think the public will enjoy all the new material we will be releasing.

As far as where you can see us next, we are playing a show Friday, Dec. 2nd @ Club 910 LIVE in Tempe, AZ. We play at 10pm. If you miss the show you can always visit us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/idlered) and then add us for updates on future shows / releases.

Q: Anything you’d like to say to our readers and fans?
A: I guess I’d just like to encourage your readers to look us up and listen to our music. You never know, we might be your new favorite band lol! And to our fans, Thanks so much for the constant love and support.